#pretty much the only thing i have taken out of batman 2022

[yvtro]

bruce teaching robin jay how to put on makeup under the domino mask. that’s all thanks for coming to my ted talk

[that-ari-blogger]

The Power Of Adora

Episode 4 of She-Ra, Flowers For She-Ra is the first war story in the series. It depicts the cost of war on people and places, and if it wasn't for how obnoxiously lovable the citizens of Plumeria are, it might be genuinely harrowing to watch (Let me know how it went for you if you didn't find the Plumerians endearing)

But I would like to focus on something else. Adora herself. Up until this point, the series has been showing off how powerful She-Ra is and how she is so useful and so strong and bla bla bla. But this episode focuses in on Adora herself, and what she can do.

Let me explain.

SPOILERS AHEAD

"Can Adora do this?"

I would like to examine how Adora reacts to danger. She runs towards it, she is determined to be useful, and she sees She-Ra as her way of helping. What I'd like to focus on is her vernacular. She refers to the form she is not in as a separate person, and how she refers to each facet of herself is pretty obvious. She-Ra can do things, Adora cannot.

So what happens when She-Ra can't fix the problem? That's what this episode explores.

In this episode, we see Adora's experience of the Horde in full effect. Turns out, having someone who understands the enemy on your side is useful. Who knew?

In this episode alone, we see Adora's understanding of the Horde's tactics used to predict the use of the poison and her knowledge of their routines used to effectively infiltrate the base. There isn't much analysis to do here other than to contrast that with how She-Ra is represented in the stories. She-Ra is a warrior where Adora is a tactician.

It's also worth noting that She-Ra's healing would only have been treating the symptoms of the poison, where Adora went to the source of the problem.

Hope. This is an episode about hope.

Adora's defining skillset isn't She-Ra, and it isn't her background, it's her resilience and perseverance. Adora rarely gives up, she instead seeks a new way to fix a problem. And that has an effect on people.

This is a shot from The Batman (2022) and I promise you its relevant. It's important here that Batman isn't carrying people to safety one by one, he's leading them to a better place. He's helping them to help themselves. This is one of the reasons this is the best live action Batman, because it's not about punching the bad guy, it's about saving people. And the way that is done, isn't by solving all of their problems for them, it's by shining a light and inspiring them to do better and to fix their own lives.

This is the effect that Adora has on people. She inspires people to help themselves. What's interesting is that hope is very much associated with the She-Ra personality. She-Ra is a symbol. Maybe there isn't so much of a difference between She-Ra and Adora after all.

Yes, I just linked She-Ra and Batman. No, I am not sorry.

But there is another effect that Adora has on people, and that isn't any effect that she can see. This episode makes a point of showing the effect of Adora's defection on the Horde itself.

"I know you're lying. You have to be lying. What did you do?"

I don't need to explain how bad this is. Not from a writing perspective, but as something for a mother figure to say to her prodigy.

In any case this little scene displays what Adora defecting has cost these two individuals. Shadow Weaver covets power, she seeks to control every piece on the board, and her most influential has just left her side.

Meanwhile Catra gives this line:

"What did I do? She left us, she left me."

Here we see Catra's abandonment issues coming out. She has taken Adora's leaving personally.

There's a neat little trick with her character design that I want to highlight here. Catra is mostly symmetrical, her mask, her hair, her costume (with a couple of flourishes). Even the marks on her arms match each other. The exception to this is her eyes. One blue, one yellow. Eyes that she can't cover up. Everything about Catra is perfectly even, but it's a facade, and the imbalance in her creeps out through the way she sees the world.

In 1810 Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe wrote that yellow and blue are the two primary colours that are in the greatest opposition to each other.

"Yellow is a light which has been dampened by darkness; blue is a darkness weakened by light."

Once again, this is the influence Adora has had on Catra, and the influence the horde has had. Notice how the hoard bears a green that, in this specific shot, is very similar to Catra's yellow eye. The Horde corrupts. And notice how much the blue stands out. Notice how it is the closest to Shadow Weaver, almost protecting Catra from her. Adora weakens the darkness so that in the end, Catra can be free. I'm definitely clutching at straws here, but it's a neat little rabbit hole.

I'd try and summarise my points here, but I think Glimmer says it best.

"Adora, She-Ra isn't the reason we like you. We like you because you're our friend."

She-Ra is a story about purpose, and acceptance. And Adora's journey is about realising that she doesn't need to fit one single purpose for people. She can live her own way.

The two personalities, Adora and She-Ra, represent the sides of Adora as powerful and Adora as herself. In this episode, we learn who exactly that self is, and what effect that has on the world of this story.

Previous - Next

[constantly-confused-queer]

So the Ninja Turtles came about in the 70s when comic books were getting big. These two guys were just doodling and then one of them came up with this:

After a couple weeks of redesigns for fun, they ended up with 4 brother turtles who each had different weapons

Originally, since it was all in black and white, you could only tell the difference between the turtles with the weapons and how they spoke. Raph was usally more angry, Leo was the leader, Donnie was the smart guy, and Mikey was the goober.

They created the comics and it was definitely more of a darker tone. But they were a huge success.

The original comic was a one off story because they didn't think it was going to sell. But it definitely did, and so many stores and people were asking "what's next???"

So they made more. They created villans and a story and made more comics.

Then in the 80s, there was an idea for toys, and a TV series. This was when they decided to get rid of the tails and make the tone more kid friendly and also give them colored masks.

They kept making money and the turtles were such a hit that they decided to make a live action movie. This came out in the 90s.

There were two more movies that came out after that.

Since then, there have been more movies and tv shows and comics. The most popular has been the 2012 CGI show, that lasted for I think 5 seasons. In 2014 and 16 there were two live action CGI movies made

The 80s show and the 90s movies were the Gen X turtles

The '12 show and the '14 movies were Millennials and older gen Z turtles.

The 2012 show was amazing and also really problematic in different ways. It did really well and is a staple in the TMNT set of media. The 2014 movies were not appreciated as much when they first came out, but now that gen Z is on the Internet they are much more well loved.

In 2018, Nickelodeon released Rise of the Teenage mutant ninja turtles.

Now this show was much different from any other TMNT reboot for a multitude of reasons.

Up until this point, the turtles have been the same species. Primarily just box turtles all green. All the turtles were the same age as well. They also had pretty much the same outfit with the exception of the 2014 movies. The origin story has all been pretty similar too. Splinter was similar in each one as well.

But Rise changed all of that. They changed all of it with the intention that this would be something completely new for an brand new generation. This was the first tmnt show that I really watched and got into as well.

In Rise, all the turtles were different species and ages. Raph (17) Alligator Snapping, Donnie (15) Soft Shell, Leo (15) Red Eared Slider, Mikey (14) Box shell.

Raph was the leader instead of Leo

They had magic weapons as well as used martial arts

Splinter was kinda a dead beat dad instead of a all knowing sensei. (Whiched changed later, yay character development)

All the turtles had different outfits.

And most of the villains changed, or didn't exist or new ones were created.

It was HATED for so long and tossed aside. By fandom standards it had a tiny following. All the adults hated it and wouldn't even give it a chance because it was so different.

It wasn't until the movie in 2022 that it began to gain a bigger following. Netflix had taken up the movie idea and released a 90ish minutes movie set in the future for these turtles.

They were all about 2 years older, and the idea was that you could watch the movie without having to see the show first. And the movie kicked ass. It was so good and one of the best animated things I've ever seen.

That is the most recent TMNT media movie and tv show rise. Comics are still being written by different companies. The most popular being IDW.

There was also a short movie with Batman and the TMNT that came out in 2019.

This movie isn't well known as much as the others, but it is absolutely hilarious.

And now we have the 2023, coming August 2nd TMNT mutant mayhem.

And this is the first one where the turtles are seen as younger teenagers and voiced by teenagers. True TMNT fans are very excited, and older TMNT fans are not happy with its existence. The animation style choice for one and also, because April is black.

I can't add any more photos, so I'm gonna send another ask about all the April's :)

Gotta say, I wasn't expecting a crash course on TMNT history, but this is actually pretty interesting, I really like seeing the development of shows and such. I believe I actually saw the 2014 movie, I was 8 and VERY scared of the only scene I remember, so I ended up turning on an Equestria Girls movie

I've actually been considering watching Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cause of how much I've been seeing about it on here. I actually really like the detail of them being different species, I think it's cool

[irish-trash-cash]

Oh mt GOD I need more of Oz and Nell just fucking there brains out

No Release

The Batman (2022) Oz Cobblepot x OC/Reader

Word Count: 2,300

Thank you for asking me to write more! Once again this is absolutely shameless smut. No plot- a few paragraphs and they’re fucking. I’m not sorry, I just want to ruin this old man’s life.

I’ve been rewatching The Sopranos and James Gandolfini is making me think filthy things about Oz.

Warnings: Sexual content, strong language.

-

“We’ll just be real quiet about it when Carmine’s around.” Oz’s words echo in Nell’s head.

Yeah, real fucking quiet.

Oz was seated across from them in a leather armchair, and Nell was incredibly distracted by the sound of his ring tapping his whisky glass as he did his damnedest to give them his best fuck-me eyes.

In the middle of a meeting with the aforementioned Carmine.

Nell was tense, to say the least. It was taking everything in her not to check Oz out. He was dressed pretty casually- a white button down and navy slacks, paired with his usual suspenders and a colorful tie. He takes a moment to cuff his sleeves- and Nell’s eyes trail to the flex of his hands and the glint of his Rolex as he rolls the material up his forearms.

Their gazes meet again and he smiles- Oz knows exactly what he’s doing.

They hadn’t been… intimate since that night in his office- they’d hardly had time for one another. Sure, Nell had been around him every day while they were on the clock, but they’d taken enough of a risk fucking in his office during operating hours, and it wasn’t like they had much time in private. A fact that was beginning to drive Nell up a wall.

Their frustration wasn’t going unnoticed- Oz had seen the tension in them all week and he loved it. He’d gone out of his way to touch them however he could- simply because he could- and the effect he had on them was a sight to behold. The way they’d lean toward him and sigh as he runs a hand over the small of their back- Nell’s suit separating them too much to enjoy it- pulling him in close for a kiss before leaving the Lounge in the early morning and returning to their respective apartments.

Nell does their best not to blush as Oz stares them down- they don’t even register what Carmine is saying- the only thing on their mind is how quickly the meeting will be over with so they can get Oz alone. It had been a while since Nell had been serious with anyone- and they realized after a few days that their imagination was not enough to sate them. They wanted Oz- his hands, his mouth, his words- fuck. They can feel themself throb at the thought of leaving the meeting- following him back to the Maserati and pulling him into the backseat. It was pouring rain and late at night, surely no one would know if he just bent them over and-

“Have a good night, Carmine.” Oz’s words bring Nell back to reality as he stands, and Nell obediently follows, nodding at their shared boss and finally turning to the door. She feels warm, and she thanks god that her collared shirt hides the lingering bruises along her neck.

The tension between them is palpable as Nell follows Oz down the hall. It’s a Wednesday night and there’s no chance the Lounge will have any visitors. So Nell once again decides fuck it and reaches forward, wrapping a hand around Oz’s arm and pulling him hard to the left. He protests of course, but Nell silences him with a kiss that he eagerly reciprocates- teeth clashing as they throw open the door to one of the Club’s private rooms and back inside.

Oz knows exactly what her intentions are, and he closes the door behind them as Nell grabs him by the tie, pulling him closer. He makes quick work of her jacket- thankful that she wasn’t wearing a side arm tonight- and tosses it to the floor while she makes quick work of her belt.

“You’re that fucking needy, huh Doll?” Oz practically sneers, lips brushing against hers as deft hands grab at the buttons of her shirt. If any other man had treated them this way- getting handsy- speaking to them so filthily- Nell would have knocked his lights out. But coming from Oz? It was so enticing. Nell feels themself flush as he just manhandles them, backing them into the pool table at the center of the room, and Nell doesn’t resist as he grabs them by the collar and bends them over it.

At that point Nell realizes neither of them had turned the lights on and they bury their head in their arms to stifle a moan as Oz’s hands find their way under their shirt, trailing down their waist and giving a squeeze. The sound of the rain outside is loud enough to mask any noises they might make, but Nell doesn’t trust themself to stay silent, especially when the Lounge adjacent is completely empty.

But Nell curses as Oz’s hands move to their waistband, tugging their pants down their hips and smoothing rough hands over the bare skin. Nell wishes she could see him, but the darkness was making it so much more arousing- and it takes everything in them not to moan as he presses rough fingers into their thighs.

“Alright, Sweetheart. Let Oz take care of ya’.” He mutters, breath ghosting over them. Nell realizes he’s dropped to his knees behind them, and they arch into his touch as he squeezes their thighs and spreads, revealing them to him in the dark. “Just try to be quiet for me, okay?”

Nell wonders if they’re dreaming as Oz leans forward and pushes his hot tongue into the apex of their thighs- lapping at them in long, slow strokes- and Nell whimpers, hand coming up to cover their mouth as he hums contentedly, the vibrations shooting straight through them. Nell can’t help but let out a gasp as he sucks hard, right there-

He pulls away for a second, and Nell can’t help but push their hips back into him.

“I told you to be fucking quiet, Nellie.” Oz scolds her, and Nell feels herself flush as he spits on it before tasting her again, tongue dipping into her center as he brings a hand up to tease in hard circles. It felt so fucking good it hurt, and Nell nearly chokes as Oz moans into her, flattening his tongue to spread her out. His hands move up their legs, hooking inside and spreading them wider. Nell stifles a sob as Oz buries his face into it from behind while they’re braced against the table, thighs shaking. Their breath catches and they’re almost-

“Oz, I’m gonna come- I-” Nell whines, but goddamn him- Oz pulls away again, and Nell squirms in near-distress at the absence of his warm mouth. They’re so fucking wet they can feel it drip down their thighs, and they’re relieved when Oz stands up and runs a forefinger through the slick, spreading it over them.

“Oh Honey, you’re such a slut.” Oz chastises, just caressing her for a second before giving it a slap. The sound echoes obscenely, and Nell lets out a sob as he pushes two thick fingers into her with ease, alleviating the growing pressure in her core. He can’t get enough of the way she sighs below him as he breaks her in, and Nell realizes that they can feel his gold ring nearly enter them with each movement. Their hand covers their mouth again, in an attempt to muffle the moans they spill as he scissors them open- the sound of their arousal filling the room when he hooks his fingers just right.

That’s when Nell hears something from the hall outside.

Nell makes a move to stand- they know the door doesn’t lock so they’re acting on instinct, but Oz reacts faster, placing his hands on their hips and pushing them face-down onto the pool table, pinning them in place.

Every instinct is telling Nell to move Oz off of her and re-dress herself, but the thrill of it- the idea of someone walking in and seeing her spread open over a fucking pool table by her boss? It was unfathomable. So they stay still for a moment- revel in the throb in their abdomen as Oz puts weight on their lower back- forcing them to arch into him as they gasp at how hard he is just from toying with her.

“You wanna get fucked that badly, huh Sweetheart?” Oz whispers as he leans over her, hands shifting down the curve of her hips before leaving. Nell doesn’t have to guess where he goes- she can hear the sound of his suspenders snapping undone- and she wishes she could grab hold of something besides the smooth surface of the table. Oz elects to stay fully-dressed again, releasing himself from the confines of his dress slacks and dragging through the slick between Nell’s thighs.

“Please-” Nell tries their best to be quiet as Oz teases them, coating himself- hands holding firmly onto their waist as he rolls his hips forward and sinks into them. Nell can’t help but moan at the feeling of him splitting them open like this, and Oz is quick to quiet them, leaning forward to wrap a hand over their mouth. Then he’s pulling them toward him until she’s arching off the table and her back meets his chest, their hips slotted together as he hits something deep inside of her. He’s so thick, Nell realizes- and she whines against the hand over her face as she throbs around him.

Oz pulls her closer to his chest and fuck- he reaches down and pushes his fingers onto her, rubbing in slow circles as he just stays still. Oz holds her there, listening to the muffled sounds she’s making from behind his hand before he inches out, and Nell chokes as he nearly leaves her before pushing right back in to the hilt.

Oz takes a minute to roll his hips into theirs and fuck he can feel them squeeze along every vein as they come, moaning against his hand, and Oz does his best to fuck them through it. It takes every ounce of his self-control not to come with them, his hips stuttering for a moment before he has to fully pull out, still dripping.

“One isn’t good enough for ya’?” Oz teases as Nell shifts in his arms, trying to get him back inside. She says something- lips moving against his palm, and he obliges her, sliding back in before releasing her mouth, his hand trailing down to settle around her neck.

“Fuck, you feel good.” Nell whines as they squeeze him, and Oz loves the way they sound praising him like that. As they start grinding their hips back against him, Oz lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding- rolling into them as he sets a pace with shallow thrusts. Hand still around her throat, he tilts her head, sinking his teeth into the side of her neck, a little too high on the collar.

Nell wants to be mad at that- she wants to pull away and tell him off, but the reality of him marking her- wanting people to know she belongs to someone. It’s fucking feral , and Nell can’t stop the helpless way she leans back into him when he squeezes her jugular- his other hand trailing down to help as he works her into coming around him again.

“Don’t- don’t stop. Please.” Nell can barely manage to say through gasping breaths as they come again, clamping down around him like a vice. Oz releases them, getting them face-down into the table once more- and Nell blushes at just how wet they sound as Oz fucks the tension out of them. He puts weight on their shoulders, and the new angle nearly makes Nell scream- and they hope the edge of the pool table against their hips will leave a nice bruise to remember it by.

Oz curses as they shift backwards, meeting his pace, taking on some of the work. They know he’s close- they can tell by the way his movements falter and his hands squeeze tighter, moving around to pull their thighs apart and open them up to him more.

“Fuck-” Oz rasps “Where-”

“Jesus, just fill me.” Nell chokes out, and Oz does. He fucks into them once, twice- and then he’s shuddering above them, gasping out their name as he comes. White-hot pleasure rips through him as he growls, giving them exactly what they asked for.

Oz pulls out much quicker than they want him to, releasing their hips and moving up, warm hands settling on Nell’s shoulders.

“You alright Doll, was that too much?” Oz asks, and Nell lets out a soft laugh. His concern is endearing, and she wishes he could be this soft around them more often. They yearn to be that close to him- and they can tell Oz wants the same. But what would they even do? He’s still their boss- it wasn’t like he was going to ask them on a date- anything public was very strictly off-the-table.

“I’m fine, Oz- that was-“ Nell assures him, catching their breath as they push off the tabletop. “I needed that.” they add, as they fix their slacks before feeling around for their discarded jacket.

“So,” Oz starts, and Nell turns to where his voice is as he cracks open the door to check the hall. They watch as the light illuminates the scar across his cheek and his gold teeth as he smiles, and Nell desperately wants to kiss him. Their eyes meet as he continues-

“You want me to make you something for dinner?”

[imagine--if]

Can I request a Keoghan Joker x reader where she appears to be very innocent/‘normal’ but they are just absolutely head over heels crazy for each other?

A/N: Hecc YES 💚💜 keep sending in your requests guys!! Just realised this is literally a dating headcanon lmao

Pairing: Keoghan!Joker x reader (The Batman 2022)

Warnings: Crazy love 😜🃏

• You come across as sweet and funny, an average girl who enjoys life and all...

• Basically, no one would ever suspect you to be partners in crime with the Joker

• You know exactly what you're doing, sneaking around behind the scenes while your boyfriend causes chaos

• Whenever you help him out and kick ass, he's legit drooling 😍

• It's like?? So hot to him hehehe

• The Joker and you most likely met before he was taken to Arkham, where he was shooting up a party/gala

• Then he bumped into you, and instead of running off screaming, you're like "You're never gonna get that blood outta your top..."

• He's frozen for a long moment before he bursts out laughing

• After that, you two are pretty much inseparable

• Needless to say, the clown prince of crime's only weakness

• You come into Arkham to 'visit' him and the guards are all worried for your safety and stuff, but as soon as the door's shut, you're talking about killing and breaking his ass outta the asylum

• When J loves, he loves hard

• He's DeEpLy In LoVe

• Like, he's obsessed with you 💚

• It's also a slight shock to him that you love him despite the scars and the usually terrifying looks and personality he has

• You being crazy heightens his crazy, and he lives for it

• Joker can get jealous pretty easily, and is hugely protective, so if some guy looks at you the wrong way or says the wrong thing, they're not gonna last long

• You're the only one he'll let in on his plans and thoughts about things that are going on

• Boy loves spoiling you, so you're gonna have guns with the metal laced with your fave colours and initials

• You're well looked after 😂

• He finds it funny when people think you're innocent and friendly, but you're actually a total badass 😎

• You luring people in with a sweet smile and soft words while you get info J needs or leading them into his traps...

• Match made in hell 😛

• He tends not to tell you he loves you through words, but through actions and intense making out

• Mkay but have you heard his voice? He sounds so calm except for when he's having a laughing fit, so when he speaks to you, arms wrapped tightly around your waist from behind, leaning down to murmur in your ear and aahghapsvsdf I can't 🥰

• Calls you nicknames like doll and queenie

• He's a great hugger, I just know

• So at nights he likes sitting with you on his lap while he plays with your hair and tells you stupid jokes to see you smile

• And Joker thinks that your smile is one of the best things about you, so he likes seeing it a lot, particularly if he's causing it

• "C'mon, doll, where's that pretty smile of yours, hm?"

• He's very good at reading people and stuff, as seen in the deleted scene clip, so if something's bugging you he'll wanna know so he can deal with it 😌

• And if by any chance, you're taken to Arkham, you're gonna be broken out immediately lol

• He's only soft for you bestie 💕

[forevercloudnine]

How smart is Bruce Wayne?

I was re-watching The Batman (2022) on HBO and thinking about the ways that Battinson compares and contrasts from Bruce-the-comic-character, and one of the things that jumped out to me was that Bruce seems to be less... observant? Like, for one thing, I can’t imagine comics Bruce seeing Riddler��s pictures of Mayor Hill and not think to check the angle of the photos to see if the photographer left any evidence behind in their roost.

And this is absolutely NOT a criticism of the movie, by the way-- I think Edward might have actually expected Batman to think about the photo angles, given that he thought his plan would end with Batman dragging Falcone into position for Edward to shoot from his window. Bruce not thinking about the photographer’s POV is emblematic of his larger flaw of being unable to see the world through anything but his own perspective, something that the movie addresses through his eventual character development when he realizes how blind he’s been to Gotham’s corruption and the effect of his obsession with vengeance. The fact that no one else thinks about the photographer’s POV just reinforces Edward’s point that he and his followers are “nobodies” who the city has ignored and forgotten. Fun thematic writing, 10/10, etc.

...But this whole thought process DID remind me of a really annoying poll DC put out in 2021.

So there is a VERY POPULAR idea in the “mainstream” DC fandom that Bruce is the smartest character in DC comics, period. The comment section of this poll was pretty much the same “Batman could plan for them ahead of time and beat them, thus he’s objectively smarter” repeated ad nauseam. Bruce being the “perfect” strategist obviously has a long legacy in his comic portrayals, but probably only reached its current memetic status as a result of Mark Waid’s JLA: Tower of Babel storyline back in 2000, where it was revealed that Bruce had created contingency plans to take down every member of the Justice League.

But notably, even in this storyline, Bruce isn’t an unbeatable genius-- the only reason it even comes up that he has contingency plans is because Talia al Ghul figured out how to steal them from him. And I think it’s relevant that unlike characters that are considered in-canon to be The Smartest, like Lex and Mr. Terrific, Bruce is not inventing the weapons he plans to use on his teammates. He’s stealing them from other characters, like how his plan for Aquaman is to utilize Scarecrow’s fear toxin.

[”The Scarecrow has already done a substantial amount of work on customized fear responses” is a good quote here: Bruce’s methodology in general tends to be finding the path of least resistance, something that Riddler complains about constantly in comics because of how often Batman “cheats” rather than properly solve his puzzles.]

Bruce is canonically a very good detective and skilled at reverse engineering other people’s inventions, but I would argue that he’s not... “creatively” intelligent, the way that actual genius characters are in DC. He can competently analyze Poison Ivy’s newest pheromone cocktail, and may even have the chemistry knowledge to adapt it for his own purposes, but he’s never going to be able to MAKE anything like that independently. It’s a lot easier to break down and reuse other people’s ideas than it is to come up with your own. Not to AGREE with the Riddler of all people, but he summarizes it pretty well in his issue of Year of the Villain:

Bruce’s real claim to fame (outside of his more obvious wealth) is probably his impressive memory, and his ability to predict people’s future actions based on close (read: stalkerish) observation of their behavior. But even this isn’t something he’s perfect at, and makes him exceptionally vulnerable to being taken by surprise: whether from large scale events like the Crime Syndicate coming out of nowhere in Forever Evil, or even something as small as one of his rogues gallery randomly changing their modus operandi.

[Panels from Detective Comics #835, during a plot where Scarecrow eschewed using fear toxin (meaning Bruce couldn’t track him down through his chemical suppliers) and started attacking during the day (when Bruce let his guard down because he wasn’t expecting it). “All of Batman’s carefully constructed files about Jonathan Crane and his alter ego are useless.... Batman’s lashing out because he feels helpless.”]

To bring this back to where I started: Bruce in The Batman (2022) definitely doesn’t seem to have had the same extensive and obsessively variegated training that Bruce has had in the comics. Apparently in the somewhat-canon tie-in novelization it’s established that he studied with a few martial artists, but that’s a lot less than he’s done in other continuities, and the movie itself seems to imply that his primary teacher was Alfred. His established rogues gallery seems to be limited to just Joker, and if he has any peers in vigilantism he’s clearly not in contact with them. So, if Bruce’s intelligence is primarily rooted in observing or borrowing from other people with more traditional genius... doesn’t it kind of make sense that he’d be less “smart” in the 2022 movie where he doesn’t have anyone else to borrow from?

Obviously there are other skills comics!Bruce has that Battison does not-- social manipulation being prime among them, since Battinson has an ABYSMAL socialite mask and probably couldn’t talk his way out of a paper bag. But comics often go out of their way to characterize child Bruce as being taciturn and socially awkward (and generally lacking an interpersonal emotional intelligence that he really still doesn’t have as an adult), traits that stay with him until he comes back from his world travels and establishes his “playboy” personality. Maybe 2022!Bruce just... never met the teacher who taught comics!Bruce social skills. And now he doesn’t know how to look up at windows OR how to make eye contact.

[bread-tab]

i saw The Batman (2022) in theaters last week. went in with low expectations. loved it. had an existential crisis afterward :)

(putting a read more here because spoilers, megalomaniacal ranting, etc.)

it's a very pretty movie with a lot of cinematic artistry (that scene with the flare? omg). they unapologetically made Gotham a parody of dark 20th century NYC where it's constantly raining while somehow making 21st century culture and technology fit seamlessly into the picture and i want to live there please (the city of my dreams). they explored some deep, relevant themes without getting anvilicious. the character writing and acting were great; lots of chemistry, arcs and conflicts that made sense. fun. ridiculous. took itself seriously despite the absurdity, but not *too* seriously.

the pacing of the movie was a little funky (third act was all over the place, idk if the whole thing even *fits* a traditional 3-act structure) but i don't care because they've created a Batman who is enough of an insane, badass weirdo that for the first time, i can almost believe the whole "i am vengeance, i am the night, i beat up criminals in my armored fursuit" shtick could work in real life and be taken seriously. and at the same time they made Bruce Wayne a scrunkly emo disaster nerd who was raised by an ex-spy butler and it shows. peak interpretation of the character. and Jim Gordon in this movie is my favorite person in the universe and their friendship is perfection incarnate.

this was a good movie. i loved it. and i DEEPLY regret having seen it.

i have been thinking about it and reading a ton of Batman, Batfam, and Justice League fanfiction all week and getting sucked into batblorbo hell. this is how i consume media. but in the midst of that process i realized...

i did *not* need to see Batman as a depressed autistic millennial with a bizarre, idealistic life mission he hyperfixates on at night instead of sleeping

do you know how much effort i have to put in daily to *not do that*???

ffs

i did not need those tendencies validated

BATMAN IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE RELATABLE

and the deeper into the rabbit hole (batcave) of Bat-content i go the more i realize that he's been like this all along and i've been narrowly dodging this fate for a solid decade. i only escaped this when i got into superhero stories in 2011 because i imprinted on Martian Manhunter instead. (my underappreciated green son <3)

unfortunately, i too am the sort of person who, under the right circumstances, would try to solve the world's problems by dressing up in a ridiculous costume and fighting crime at 3 a.m. while having a dramatic inner monologue about justice. (especially if i had kept up with my martial arts lessons when i was 19. good grief. i guess there's a bright side to failing at that.) i, too, would be physically unable to stop myself from adopting half a dozen orphans, hiding them under my cape, and allowing them to live out their incredibly weird aspirations. (heck i would do that right now if i actually had money and my own house and wasn't quite so depressed)

one time i was discussing my struggles with mental illness with my dad and mentioned that i have no idea what my life would be like now if i hadn't had his and mom's support growing up. i have no idea where i'd be. i might be dead. but on the other hand—what i have not told my dad is—i'm also extremely stubborn, have a very strong will to survive, and spent my entire childhood really wanting to get into a righteous fistfight with someone who deserved it and being disappointed when the opportunity never presented itself. i could...genuinely...have decided to become some sort of ridiculous costumed vigilante, given the means. (so this being real life that's two points toward ending up dead.)

and um. even though i do have parents and am aware that this is real life. i refuse to admit how many times (and until what age) i still put *real consideration* into what it would take to be some sort of freelance private eye/vigilante/inventor/actual magician in real life. (physically and, you know, *legally.*)

so...with that context...

there is a part of me that is very grounded and realistic and cynical. does anything i do really make a difference? if i push myself to my limits, get better, and try to make the world a better place, will it mean anything? there's a lot of shame, despair, and self-loathing in there. this is the part of me that is depressed.

there is also a part of me which is stubborn, brazenly honest and weird and unyieldingly hopeful. if there is light in the darkness, i will find it. if there is none, i will make it. i will *become* it. creativity, determination, empowerment. that is the core of who i really am.

demon on my left shoulder. angel on my right.

there are two wolves inside you and the one thing they agree on is BOTH OF THEM REALLY WANT TO BE THE FUCKING BATMAN

*head in hands*

boy. you are broke. you have the upper-body strength of dry spaghetti. you *know* there is no one you can punch to solve crime, poverty, or world hunger. you know the dramatic angsty way of doing things is, above all other considerations, inefficient. you KNOW that your best shot at making the kind of difference you want is to drag yourself back to college and become a social worker, run for some form of public office or other leadership position, and/or get involved in one or more mutual aid/activist/charity movements. All of which require leaving the house IN THE DAYTIME and developing fucking social skills!

...god it would be so much easier to be batman.

(and that's why bruce wayne is relatable, thank you for coming to my TED talk)

so yeah i have no idea to explain all that nonsense to my therapist, but on the bright side, i have a great new way to motivate myself.

"what would Batman do in this situation?"

"..." *sigh* "he'd get up and fold the goddamn laundry."

(except when it backfires)

"in this situation Batman would stay up all night and investigate!"

"NO."

[davidmann95]

Got a 2020 Superman State of the Union assessment?

Not the most overtly monumental of years for big blue - a lot of the biggest news for Superman this year was about stuff we’ll see next year, which I’ll get into further below - but on the whole definitely a net positive!

Really, the only things I’d say counted ‘against’ this year were the back half of Rucka and Perkins’ Lois Lane and how badly that went off the rails - which for my money was more than counterbalanced by the conclusion to Fraction and Lieber’s Jimmy Olsen - and Romita Jr. turning in shoddy work on Action Comics. Otherwise? Bendis played out the consequences of Truth in fun ways and closed out his tenure on the main titles with a pair of artful final issues, we got Waid’s return to the character alongside Francis Manapul for a great short story, the last issue of the instantly iconic Superman Smashes The Klan, and several excellent installments in DC’s digital Man of Tomorrow series, while Commanders in Crisis introduced the Superman analogue to beat for the 2020s in Prizefighter. And in mass-media Routh’s Superman got a nice fly-by sendoff at the end of Crisis on Infinite Earths, there were two animated features in Red Son and Man of Tomorrow (the former of which I haven’t seen but the latter of which is probably the best official Superman movie, even if that says more about other Superman movies than anything else), and we naaaaarowly avoided the Superman logo being codified as fascist iconography for a generation. Oh and the comics industry did not in fact end due to Covid. So all-in-all a win.

Anonymous said: It’s almost New Year’s, what’s your predictions for Superman in 2021? (I guess you can do Batman too if you want)

So here’s what we do know officially for Superman in 2021:

* Superman & Lois will debut on the CW, the first Superman TV show (without substantial qualifiers) in 20+ years.

* Future State will feature Jon Kent taking on the mantle in Superman of Metropolis, Justice League, and Superman/Wonder Woman, while a now spacefaring Clark is in Worlds of War, Imperious Lex, Batman/Superman, and House of El. Meanwhile Kara graduates from Supergirl to Superwoman in her own two-parter as well as featuring in Superman of Metropolis, and Conner Kent appears to be acting as some kind of Superman in Suicide Squad.

* Phillip Kennedy Johnson takes over Action Comics and Superman in March, beginning with a two-part crossover The Golden Age illustrated by Phil Hester. After that Action Comics will be drawn by Daniel Sampere through around September, at which point Mikel Janin will be illustrating an event-scale arc for the book. Meanwhile Scott Godlewski will be the artist on Superman, but around the time of Janin’s arc on Action an entirely new, as yet unknown creative team will take over Superman while PKJ remains on Action. Both books will also have backup features spotlighting various Superman/Metropolis-adjacent characters as there’s little space for them in the cosmic direction the main story will be tilting towards for the time being.

* Superman: Red & Blue will debut in March as a counterpart to the various Batman: Black & White series over the years.

* Outside the main Superman books, Clark will star in Brian Bendis and David Marquez’s Justice League, as well as Gene Yang and Ivan Reis’s incredibly rad-looking dimension-hopping new take on Batman/Superman. Bendis is indicating we’ll be seeing the long-delayed Event Leviathan: Checkmate this year as well, which features Lois as one of the main characters.

* Not strictly Superman news, but apparently we’ll be seeing Netflix’s adaptation of Mark Millar and Frank Quitely’s Jupiter’s Legacy next year, which centers around the multi-generational drama of the family of Superman analogue Utopian.

* Zack Snyder’s Justice League, its hour come round at last, slouches towards HBO Max to be born.

As for predictions? Well for starters, pretty much everyone takes as a given that Mark Waid is putting together some long-form Superman project now that he’s working with DC again, and I expect to see something come of that next year; Tom King has also soft-announced he’s working on a Superman project since he’s done with scripting his three current DC minis, but I wouldn’t be surprised if nothing directly came of that until 2022. I’d also speculate that Scott Snyder has something in mind: he’s repeatedly said he’s planning on a major out-of-continuity project, and he’s made clear he’s done with Batman for the time being, I imagine he’s done whatever he wanted to for Wonder Woman with Death Metal, and anything he did with the JSA right now would be extremely in-continuity; I doubt he’s playing with anything less than the icons anytime soon and he definitely seems more engaged with Superman now than he was when he wrote Unchained (hell, the end of Last Knight on Earth can basically only be read as ‘I wanna write Superman now’). Again though, dunno that I’d put money on that being next year. 

Outside the theoretical prestige stuff, everything we’re hearing about Future State, Infinite Frontier, and PKJ’s barely-veiled discussion of his run seems to suggest Jon will end up sharing the Superman name in the present and probably taking over that book alongside the new creative team. If Batman: Urban Legends takes off then I wouldn’t be surprised if we got a Superman anthology given DC’s apparent current priorities of consolidating, testing a new publishing model, and putting the biggest names first. And maybe something will finally come of the back-and-forth over whether or not Cavill’s sticking around in the movies - if he is my first guess would be an appearance in DuVernay and King’s New Gods (which is still in progress per DuVernay as of this month) - but we can all I think be pretty sure he’s still not getting a video game anytime soon.

As for what we know for certain of Batman’s 2021:

* Future State has a whole slate of Batman-related books, but Tim Fox takes over the cape and cowl to fight the police state that’s taken over Gotham in John Ridley and Nick Derington/Laura Braga’s The Next Batman, while a resourceless Bruce on the run stars in Mariko Takaki and Dan Mora’s Dark Detective.

* James Tynion and Jorge Jimenez are solidified as the creative team on the now-monthly Batman, while Tamaki and Mora take Detective Comics, with a Damian backup by Joshua Williamson and Gleb Melnikov running through the first issues of each and apparently leading to something, probably a Robin book. Elsewhere Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo take over Nightwing, Chip Zdarsky and Eddy Barrows spearhead the new anthology title Batman: Urban Legends, and Tynion and Gullem March launch a Joker ongoing, while Bruce also stars in the aforementioned Justice League and Batman/Superman.

* The Gotham Knights game is scheduled to drop next year.

Aside from the Infinite Frontier cover suggesting Tim Fox will take on a role in the present before long as (a) Batman same as Jon Kent as Superman, hopefully with Ridley and Derington coming back, it doesn’t feel like there’s a ton of big Batman stuff to speculate on? Aside from the inevitable unannounced Black Label stuff - including probably Scott Snyder’s Nightwing book - we know the basic shape of things. The Batman is inching closer, Tynion/Jimenez are probably on Batman through at least the end of the year, Mora I don’t think stays on Detective because he’s committed to Once & Future but Tamaki presumably does, Taylor/Redondo Nightwing is immediately going to be a fandom favorite, and Gotham Knights is probably gonna suck because boy that doesn’t look very good. We know the broad strokes of where he’s headed for the time being across all media. If I had to take a whack at a big guess, I’d say I’m a touch skeptical about that HBO GCPD show or the Batmobile cartoon reaching fruition, the former because that’s an incredibly charged premise that has to act perfectly in sync with another mass-media project in another medium AND we know there’s already been behind-the-scenes drama, and the latter because that sounds incredibly stupid.

EDIT: Forgot, Bendis said in 2019 he was working on a Black Label Batman book, so wouldn’t be surprised to see that too this year.

[aion-rsa]

Does Ben Affleck’s Batman Have the Best Movie Batcycle?

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We finally got our first look at Ben Affleck’s Batman in The Flash movie, thanks to photos taken the film’s Glasgow, Scotland set, where the Dark Knight could be seen zooming through George Square and the surrounding streets on a brand new set of wheels. The scene in question, which actually featured stunt double Rick English in the new Batsuit and not Affleck, seemed to be a daytime chase through the streets of Gotham City, with a humvee shooting back at Batfleck’s heavily armored ride.

English, who was also a stunt double for Robert Pattinson in Matt Reeves’ The Batman, can be seen riding the new Batcycle (the official name of the vehicle hasn’t been announced yet) in the set photo below:

New close-up shot of Ben Affleck's #Batman stunt double riding the Batcycle on the set of #TheFlash pic.twitter.com/t5f4HosX7G

— Big Screen Leaks (@bigscreenleaks) July 26, 2021

In short, the new Batcycle is an absolute stunner, a bit more tank-like than past live-action versions of Batbikes, as seems to be the overall DCEU aesthetic since the Zack Snyder days, but still sleek and modern. It also boasts forward shields that lift up when Batman is being shot at (as another series of set photos show) and what look like machine gun cannons on either side — presumably armed with non-lethal rounds…

Despite the bulkier design, the bike seems built for speed and maneuverability, not just battle, as it cuts tight corners through the streets of Gotham/Glasgow. Why the Caped Crusader has chosen his Batcycle over his much more heavily equipped Batmobile, a staple of Affleck’s tenure, is a mystery. Perhaps the Batcycle is just the faster pursuit vehicle…or since The Flash is a multiverse-spanning adventure, maybe he just doesn’t have access to his trademark car at the moment because he’s in the Burtonverse’s version of Gotham (I’m just speculating here).

Interestingly enough, Warner Bros. has been trying to introduce a new Batcycle (likely for toy reasons) since Justice League. In an interview with Film Sketchr, concept artist Ed Natividad revealed that he’d designed a new Batcycle for Affleck’s Batman to use in the superhero team-up movie but Snyder chose the massive Knightcrawler in its place.

“The Batcycle was proposed as a new form of transport for Batman,” Natividad said. “However it was superseded in favor of the Knightcrawler. Zack Snyder felt the cycle did not reflect the ‘team’ dynamic and needed something that would carry at least three of the members.”

It sounds like WB finally has its new Batcycle, but it’s only the latest in a long series of bikes introduced in Batman movies. In fact, Batfleck’s chopper isn’t even the only Batcycle being introduced in an upcoming DC movie.

The Batman: Robert Pattinson's Stunt Double Rides the Bat Bike in New Photo pic.twitter.com/kM9diNfJK2

— AG MEDIA NEWS (@AGMEDIANEWS) October 15, 2020

First spotted while The Batman was filming last year, the more pared down Batcycle ridden by Pattinson very much matches the aesthetic Reeves is going for with his take on the Bat mythos. Unlike Affleck or Bale, Pattinson doesn’t seem to own any vehicles or equipment he didn’t modify or design in-house, all while looking super unhappy. His suit looks very DIY, with its shoulder pads and heavily stiched and dented cowl, as does his minimalist take on a Batbike — a simple number with bat ears over the headlight.

Pattison’s Dark Knight seems like a bit of a grease monkey who’s less concerned looks than performance and efficiency. Even the movie’s Batmobile looks like a cool muscle car Battinson bought and modified with an insane engine he found on the black market and a matte paint job. The custom body work also makes the car look more Bat-like.

He clearly took the same approach with the bike, and it’s nice to see a Batman who prefers “simpler” and more “sensible” vehicles over the massive tanks driven by Affleck and Bale before him. Pattinson’s rides are much closer to reality than what’s usually on tap in a Batman movie. And unlike the things driven by most of his predecessors, his bike doesn’t seem to have any guns on it.

Meanwhile, the Batpod screams “billionare superhero who owns his own R&D division.” Wayne Enterprises has military contracts to develop tech the U.S. Department of Defense never adopted on the battlefield, and Bale’s Batman gets to reap all the rewards.

Despite being part of a much larger whole, having been jettisoned from the totaled Tumbler before it self-destructed in The Dark Knight, the Batpod has its own identity. It’s kind of ugly and doesn’t look very practical, but it becomes Batman’s main mode of transportation for much of the back half of the trilogy until Lucius Fox gifts him the Bat in The Dark Knight Rises. It also has the best maneuverability of all the bikes on this list due to the sideways rotating wheels that allows it to turn tight corners without skidding off the road. Lateral movement comes in very handy when in a high-speed chase, and it seems only Christopher Nolan figured that out.

The Batpod’s biggest crime is looking kind of like those tumbling RC cars you played with when you were a kid. This is all by design, of course, since these movies are all made so WB can sell toys and bedroom sets to children. At least this one has cannons Batman (and later Catwoman) can use to remove obstacles from his path. And if you’re someone walking through that mall Batman zooms through while chasing the Joker, you would be intimidated. But if your favorite kind of bike is the bulky kind, you’re better off with the Batfleck cycle.

Finally, we come to the Batblade, the bike George Clooney just happened to have sitting in his Batcave in case of an icy situation. Apparently designed to speed through Gotham City streets that are frozen solid, it’s best not to try to decipher the logic behind wheels with such excellent traction. This is Batman & Robin, and we don’t do logic there.

Driven by Alicia Silverstone’s underrated Batgirl, the Batblade pretty much looks like a normal bike except for the Bat symbol and LED lighting that adorn the front. Its big feature is that it is equipped with “Ice Armor,” so even Mr. Freeze’s ice beams can’t slow it down. Which is pretty cool. And the bike totally fits within Joel Schumacher’s vision of a neon-drenched Gotham.

It’s hard to believe that almost 25 years after the release of Batman & Robin, a movie that at the time seemed to be the final nail in the Dark Knight’s coffin, we’re still talking about big-screen Batmen and their cool toys. As far as the latter goes, the newest addition to the Caped Crusader’s toybox delivers plenty of style.

I can’t wait to see the new Batcycle in action when The Flash opens in theaters on Nov. 4, 2022.

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[hayleysbookblog]

Blog 6

This week, I watched:

The Dark Knight Batman trilogy

The Batman (2022)

The Dark Knight Trilogy

Rating: 3/5 stars

Batman, and DC in general, never really interested me. I was only exposed to superheroes when Avengers came out and frankly always liked their approach to presenting characters better, as well as the narratives themselves. Batman especially was sort of the epitome of what was different; between the fiction city instead of NYC, and overall the villain's. Not to mention the fact that I barely ever heard of successful DC movies. The Dark Knight trilogy followed me around, as did every one else, when it came to how good it was. Because of that, I always wanted to make sure when i watched it for the first time it wouldn’t just be on a whim. I ran out of time, though, when i realized i was going to see the new Batman while barely knowing the lore. I watched them back to back the day before i saw the new one. 

Overall, I can see why people were taken away by it. At the time. to think, at the time the second, most praised film came out, superhero movies weren't really that big, if at all. really all that there was to compare was previous Batman's and Spider-Man. As compared to that, I can see why people called it as much of a masterpiece as its given. But, by viewing it for the first time now...I can hardly agree. It’s a great movie, and trilogy, and does the villains right. But I do believe, much like things like Star Wars and Spider-Man, a lot of the praise is based on nostalgia. By the end of the trilogy, I still could not put names to characters (like Gordan), and caught myself calling Bruce ‘Christian’ and Selina ‘Anne’ in my head, after their actors’ names, for the whole thing. The costumes simply were not flattering. And I really, Really would like to know why Christian---I mean Bruce (that was literally a completely honest mistake lol) spent two thirds of the last movie in a hole. I just couldn't connect to any of the characters at all, nor did they (especially Bruce and Rachel, whos connection was supposed to Be The Plot) have any chemistry with each other. I just failed to really care for any of the characters and the trilogy turned out to be pretty forgettable on my end. 

The Batman (2022)

Rating: 5/5 stars

Now this review may seem a bit bias to the last, but its been weeks at the time of writing and these thoughts still hold strong. From the moment casting was announced back in May 2019 as well as first look promo pictures, despite te fact that I knew nothing of Batman, I knew not only was I going to finally see a batman film, but that I was going to love it. I was not wrong. This Batman finally got superhero movies---or at least one that had Bruce Wayne as the Vigilante---right. It had the perfect amount of gritty feel and finally gave Gotham the gothic feel that was intended but not applied since the beginning. The way they finally let the hero mess up, and simply show that he was new at this, was not only excellent, but gave the right kind of humor that still ran with the mood, unlike say, Avengers Endgame. Pattinson’s portrayal had gotten a lot of feedback on how Bruce Wayne wasn’t Bruce Wayne, and that he was too emo, but that was the point; he had yet to get the hang of wearing both the mask of Batman AND Bruce Wayne. The morality questioning, the symbolism of darkness and light, the full circles, the messages, the complexity of the characters. It made you feel everything you were supposed to feel for all the characters, whether their roles or traits were good or bad, and set up enough for a sequel while still leaving the audience completely satisfied. 

The complexity of it all was so well done, and so deep, that I ended up writing about 40k words in pure inspiration of it. It is the best writing I have done in a while, perhaps ever, and It really has me excited to continue with writing into the summer.